The Complete Guide to Anatomy for Artists & Illustrators

Originally published in German in 1964, Professor Gottfried Bammes Die Gestalt des Menschen is still considered the definitive guide to drawing the human form. Having undergone numerous editions since it was first published and still much in demand today, this, the first ever English translation of the complete work, has been long awaited. Based on the most recent German edition and faithful to the original, it contains over 1200 photographs, diagrams and drawings, including work by the author himself, and spans over 500 pages. Now, both new and experienced English-speaking artists and illustrators can benefit from the vast body of knowledge accumulated and lovingly presented by Professor Bammes in his acclaimed work.

This comprehensive guide begins with the history of human anatomy for artists, and its influence on the development of the artistic visualisation of the body. Bammes goes on to explore in depth the human skeleton and musculature; the proportions of the body; the static and dynamic laws of posture and movement; body language; and the interrelationships of the various elements of the body. Through his systematic and practical approach to teaching, the reader will acquire an in-depth knowledge of anatomy and the ways in which it can be used to express the human form in art.

Gottfried Bammes, born in 1920 in Freital, Germany, worked as an art teacher at the College of Fine Arts in Dresden. Bammes was a prolific writer and artist, was considered to be a master of life drawing and anatomy, and produced numerous books on the subject in his lifetime. In 1974 he was awarded the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic for Science and Technology and received the Culture and Art Prize of the City of Freital in 2000. He died in 2007.